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FRONT PAGE CONTRIBUTOR

Maximizing the 2014 Primaries

Sitting out the upcoming Republican primaries is not an option for conservatives. It’s time we begin monitoring the races closely while we still have a few months to affect the outcome.

Earlier today, Madison Project (my employer), issued a new endorsement – Barry Loudermilk for Congress in Georgia’s 11th district. I have personally spent many hours with him, and can promise you that he is one of the stars of the 2014 cycle. He will be fighting at the front lines in the war to take back out party from the Chamber of Commerce types. You can read more about him here.

Erick has already endorsed Barry here and on his radio show. As Erick noted, his main rival, former Rep. Bob Barr, has been all over the map on so many issues over the past two decades. He even publicly supported Eric Holder for Attorney General!

Many of us in the Red State community have been chomping at the bit to do something to win back our party from the special interests, Democrat-lite, and corporatists. Well, the primaries are coming in a few months, and there will be more than enough candidates to keep us occupied – whether it’s by donating money or volunteering time to make calls and knock on doors. You can donate to Barry Loudermilk here.

In order to win this fight in an effort to create a viable second party, we must also work for candidates who are running against incumbents. The Chamber of [Government-Run] Commerce has announced its support for two beleaguered incumbents: Rep. Mike Simpson (ID-2) and Minority Follower Mitch McConnell. Obviously, the Kentucky race is the highest level primary challenge since Reagan challenged Ford, a sitting president, in 1976. If you are not supporting Matt Bevin, you have no right to complain.

Here are some other primaries to explore: Chris McDaniel in Mississippi, Rob Maness in Louisiana, Milton Wolf in Kansas, and Art Halvorson in PA-9. There are a number of other good conservative candidates in other states where local grassroots are still sorting out the best conservative in each race, but the aforementioned names are going mano-a-mano against establishment incumbents or candidates. Lindsey Graham already has at least four challengers. I have also met with a number of budding House primary challengers.

The party is just beginning. We cannot grow complacent. Speaker Boehner has already suggested that he will have more flexibility passing amnesty after the primaries are set. The key goal over the next few months is to ensure that there are as many primary challengers as possible, forcing incumbents to fear that their opponent might have a chance of beating them. Not all candidates who run will pose a viable threat; not all will win. But we are living in such an unstable political environment that incumbents are forced to modify their ways as soon as they see a threat on the horizon. Choice and competition always work.

At present, we have a Republican Party that is eager to push amnesty, support perennial debt ceiling increases, stop any budget fights over Obamacare, and pass massive new farm subsidy programs – further ensnaring red state America in the inveterate dependency on the federal government. If we fail to seriously challenge enough of them in primaries, they will only become emboldened in their disregard for the conservative base.

Now is our time to stand up and be heard. The special interests that promote amnesty, debt ceiling increases, corporate welfare, and bailouts will make sure their voices are heard. They have more money, but we have more votes.

Yes, it’s important that Republicans win back control of all branches of government. But it is even more important to do it right and rebuild the majority on solid ground. A Senate majority built upon the current crop of leaders and members, augmented by the likes of Rep. Bill Cassidy in Louisiana, Thom Tillis in North Carolina, Rep. Jack Kingston in Georgia, and Mike Rounds in South Dakota, will end the same way it did a decade ago.

It’s time we rebuild the party from bottom up. That time is rapidly approaching.